


Heavy in Your Arms

by thekatthatbarks



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-23
Updated: 2020-02-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:14:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22865416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thekatthatbarks/pseuds/thekatthatbarks
Summary: Something twisted inside her more painful than any blade could as Shikamaru had to pause and catch his breath. She felt so heavy against him, weighing him down. She could hear an explosion tag going off behind them and felt her heart rate pick up. Tears burned at the corners of her eyes. “Shikamaru, just leave me.”“No.” His voice was hard, and his pace fastened around the trees around them. She knew his feet felt like lead and worried about when his legs would finally give out.“I can… Just go on for help and send someone back for me. I’ll – ““Sakura, shut up.” She could hear tremors in his voice as he forced the words out. “I’m not leaving you here.”
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Nara Shikamaru
Comments: 7
Kudos: 227





	Heavy in Your Arms

**Author's Note:**

  * For [amako](https://archiveofourown.org/users/amako/gifts).



The sliver of energy Sakura had left she used to keep her eyes open, her arms already slack around Shikamaru’s neck.

His grip was bruising where he had his arms hooked under her legs as he carried her on his back. His skin was warm where she laid her head against his, his sweat mixing with hers as he put another foot forward.

Something twisted inside her more painful than any blade could as Shikamaru had to pause and catch his breath. She felt so heavy against him, weighing him down. She could hear an explosion tag going off behind them and felt her heart rate pick up. Tears burned at the corners of her eyes. “Shikamaru, just leave me.”

“No.” His voice was hard, and his pace fastened around the trees around them. She knew his feet felt like lead and worried about when his legs would finally give out.

“I can… Just go on for help and send someone back for me. I’ll – “

“Sakura, shut up.” She could hear tremors in his voice as he forced the words out. “I’m not leaving you here.”

Sakura knew she wouldn’t have much of a chance if he did. They’d been ambushed on what was supposed to be a simple mission. While they had been able to hold their own for a while, when more enemy nin came in, they’d lost their ground. A well thrown kunai with an explosion tag had caught her right leg and thrown her a dozen feet, it was burnt badly and broken in two places. There was no way she could walk on it. They’d retreated as far as they could before Sakura fisted a hand in Shikamaru’s jacket to stop him so she could heal him. He’d fought her on it even as he bled from his side and held a broken arm to his chest. She’d exhausted almost all her chakra by the end of it.

Sakura swallowed thickly and pressed her forehead against the back of his neck. Her voice was hoarse, barely audible. “It’s better if at least one of us makes it.”

“Not if it’s me.”

Sakura bit her lip as she held back a sob, her lips chapped. She heard the underlying words there. _I’ll die out here with you before I leave you._

He was so unfair.

There was a sound to the right of them and Sakura’s eyes went to it, seeing the shine of a blade in the distance. Shikamaru reacted quickly, falling back and going to the left. His hands on her tightened and Sakura’s fingers curled around the collar of his shirt. Sakura lost seconds of time and came back as Shikamaru turned her around and pressed them against a tree. 

Sakura grabbed at his jacket as she met his eyes, a thousand emotions stirring there. Her legs were still around his waist and he slowly brought one hand up to hold a finger against his lips. Sakura nodded, keeping her eyes on his as she heard rustling in the leaves behind them. She couldn’t stop the fear that wrapped around her heart like a noose.

The sounds of shinobi flying through the air got closer and tears escaped her eyes as Shikamaru pressed his forehead against his hers. She closed her eyes and focused on the man she was wrapped around. Running anymore would just get them killed sooner, they were too exhausted to outrun anyone. If Shikamaru had saw this as the best course of action – the same man who could think a hundred steps ahead and analyze every possibility – then she needed to accept what might happen in the following seconds.

She didn’t trust herself to not make a sound and quietly reached out to put Shikamaru’s hand over her mouth.

“Didn’t they go this way?”

Sakura’s eyes shot open at how close the voice was but didn’t dare move any more muscles. Shikamaru gaze was on her and Sakura felt her tears start to cloud her version – _and wasn’t that cruel?_

_Not him. Please. Not Shikamaru. Let him make it out of this. Please._

The words tumbled over each other in her head as she felt like she was screaming without making any noise.

“Yeah, they can’t be far.”

Sakura didn’t think she was a person who lived with regrets, but she quickly found that she did as she looked at Shikamaru with her heart pounding so hard against her chest she worried the enemy might hear it.

He surprised her by giving her a small smile, his eyebrows pulling together as a couple tears piled at the corners of his eyes. Her breath caught in her throat and she was thankful Shikamaru’s hand was over her lips.

She loved him. She’d fallen in love with him as easily as it was to fall asleep. After a long day, her head hitting the pillow with blankets pulled up to her chin, sleep catching her with a warm embrace. She loved him and though she knew it wasn’t true, it felt like she had all her life.

She never told him but maybe he could see it in her eyes now. Because she could see it in his and it broke her heart how they looked at each other like they might be the last thing they saw.

Sometimes life was so cruel. Genin dying on missions, too young to have even seen the world. A widow walking through the street market, the absence of a husband who liked to carry her things a greater weight than her bags of apples. The night terrors she had to listen to patients tell her they had.

How she couldn’t tell Shikamaru she loved him with what might be her last breath.

The minutes it took for the shinobi to run by them and disappear in the distance felt like an eternity. Shikamaru eventually moved his hand from her mouth and Sakura felt like dead weight as she collapsed against him. He caught her easily, adjusting her to his back again.

Fear still choked them even as relief flooded through their veins and they didn’t say anything as Shikamaru jumped silently to the ground below them. Sakura felt herself slip unconscious as his feet carried them.

She drifted in and out, only ever aware of Shikamaru’s hands on her and how heavy she felt. Sometimes he’d stop to rest against a tree for a minute, but then would keep going minutes later.

He continued to walk.

Carrying her.

Carrying them both.

The last thing she remembered before completely losing all her senses was Shikamaru collapsing against the ground as his legs gave out. Sakura forced herself to stay awake long enough to see a Leaf headband and then let sleep take her.

***

Sakura woke to the intense pain of her skin being repaired with chakra. A scream left her throat as her eyes searched out the person on her right. Tsunade barely sent her a glance as her chakra continued to lace itself through her damaged leg.

She trusted her memory but couldn’t help the panic that started to grip at her lungs. She was breathless as she tried to ask, “Shikamaru – “

“He made it,” Tsunade interrupted her.

Tears ran down her face from the overwhelming relief and she threw an arm over her eyes as she started to cry. Tsunade’s chakra felt warmer in response, but maybe that was just Sakura finally losing her mind.

***

Only when a medic threatened restraining her to the bed with chakra cuffs did Sakura finally stop trying to leave her room.

She knew Shikamaru was just a few rooms down recovering from his own exhaustion, chakra and physical. Sakura worried after the damage to his leg muscles from how far he’d pushed them, but Tsunade assured her they’d heal. She wanted to see him so badly she thought she might go mad.

Another day passed and Sakura decided to risk her medic’s wrath. Most of her chakra had recovered and she slipped quietly out the window, walking alongside the building until she reached Shikamaru’s room.

He looked up from his bed as her feet touched the cold floor. “Sakura? What’re you _doing_? You should – “

Sakura went to the bed and without a word, wrapped her arms around him. Shikamaru’s voice cut off as he hugged her back and Sakura climbed into the bed. He pulled her close to him and let out a deep breath. “You’re so troublesome.”

Sakura chuckled against him, her breath tickling his neck. He pulled the sheet from under her and covered them with it, apparently having decided she was going to stay. Sakura settled more against him, wrapping an arm around his torso as she laid her head on his shoulder.

The room was quiet with only the sounds of the monitors buzzing until Shikamaru told her in a soft voice, “I love you.”

Sakura picked her head up to hover over him, his hand coming up to hold her face as he looked at her like she was something precious. Her throat felt thick, but she managed to reply, “I love you, too” before she fell against him.

Just like how he always had his arms out for her, his lips caught hers without question.


End file.
